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Silent Nacht
Silent Nacht is a story by Bek D. Corbin. It chronicles Kate 'Nacht' Twardovski's Christmas 2006. Kate is sent to stay with her legal guardian Sunburst of the California Crusaders, and gets caught up in their battles against Dr. Macabre. Chapter 1 2006-12-18 In Chapter 1 (released 23 December 2012) Kate is flown into Barrows Wells and is picked up by Sunny, who drives her to the California Crusaders HQ in Venice. After meeting the team (and Big Dawg's reluctant apprentice, a recently manifested small-time thief called Chiller) and discussing the Hollywood Headhunter, they drive to Sunny's latest home in Malibu. The home's owner is currently away, possibly scared off by Morris, a Deimophagic Empathic Parasite (i.e. a manifesting emotion-feeding demi-spirit that feeds on feelings of fear, discomfort, anxiety and terror) who resides under the stairs. Despite Kate claiming he's one of the most powerful she's ever encountered, Sunny isn't fazed by him, while Kate terrifies him. 2006-12-19 After settling in, Kate and Sunny go Christmas shopping... only to be interrupted by a call-out: Dr. Venus has been spotted raiding a chemical warehouse in the service sector of Beverly Hills. While Sunny deals with Dr. Venus herself, Kate deals with her henchmen, clueing them into the instability of Dr. V's hunk formula while finding out that she was fronting for Dr. Macabre while also planning to rat him to the cops so she'd have an opportunity to raid his lab and rip off his equipment. When the police turn up, they originally want to put the henchmen in general population while awaiting trial, but Kate persuades them with a three minute stare to place them in protective custody instead. The chapter ends with Witch Hunter flying into town. Chapter 2 In Chapter 2 (released 30 December 2012), preparations for the Christmas party go on. 2006-12-20 During the night, Marzena, Nacht's mother, magically calls Kate for a meeting, demanding her help to assemble the pieces of an artifact called the "Telchines' Astrolabe." The first piece, the "Mirror of Tanith", is in possession of a werewolf cult headed by Lycarax. Another part, "Ormenious' Clock", is held by a gray wizard named Megalesius. Dr. Macabre's victims/henchmen go to a warehouse to setup a new lab, but are interrupted by the Crusaders. Nacht manages to convince the Crusaders that Dr. Macabre must himself be looking for the Astrolabe. During a visit to a shopping mall, the Witch Hunter attempts to stick a tracking spell on Kate. He succeeds, but his ploy backfires. Mr. Magic visits the warehouse but is surprised by Swashbuckler. When Skyrider intervenes, Mr. M manages to escape. At night, Marzena summons Kate again. Kate explains that the reason Dr. Macabre is looking for the Astrolabe is that she herself convinced him to do it. Chapter 3 In Chapter 3 (released 20 January 2013). 2006-12-21 That afternoon, the California Crusaders are the central attraction in the municipal Christmas Tree decorating ceremony. They want to put Kate on the sidelines, so she heads back to the car, only to find someone planting a bomb under it while Dr. Venus and four henchmen stand around. There’s a fight, after which Nacht sends Dr. Venus away and then sends the bomb after her. A while later, they hear reports of a bomb going off in a vacant lot, and a rather singed figure flying away. Later that evening, the California Crusaders and a District Attorney surveil Lycarax' place when Dr. Macabre’s monster horde attacks it. The CC moves in, giving Kate instructions to zip in and acquire the Mirror of Tanith. There is a major brawl that demonstrated conclusively that nobody actually knew what they were doing. Kate eventually substitutes a fake mirror for the real one, and attempts to vanish down the lanes of darkness when she’s intercepted by someone who uses Sacred Moly to disable her and steal the mirror. Chapter 4 In Chapter 4 (released 17 March 2013). After some back-and-forth, Kate and Sunburst head home. They’re woken up in the middle of the night by the piano playing. The player is Mr. Magic, who was hoping to get the California Crusaders looking for his son, Artie, who had been taken by Dr. Macabre. After a bit of back and forth, he tells them that the person they want is one Yavros Hravac. 2006-12-22 Dr. Macabre’s hoard attack the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Evidence bunker. Icy gets smart and decides to get more than Macabre wanted, and triggers an alarm. The fight gets nasty until they’re attacked by Golden Boy and the Radical Squad. The California Crusaders relax with popcorn as they watch the live feed that’s mysteriously present. They’re also creating a pool about who is running the show - it can’t be real. Then the Hollywood All-Stars (a real super team) join the fray, with their own video feeds. The fight continues until eventually the Monster Squad teleports out. Then Nacht sets up a betting pool on who hired the Radical Squad. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 was originally released on the Crystal Hall forums in two segments, the first on 22 December 2013 and the second on 5 January 2014. Those were joined in a single chapter when moved to the main site. 2006-12-23 The California Crusaders decide to ambush Dr. Macabre's Monsters in Megalesius' shop. But Dr.Venus attacks the shop first, forcing them to stop hiding and defend the Ormenious' Clock, that was hidden in the shop. The Monster Teens use the distraction to break into the shop and steal the Clock, but they are stopped by the Witch Hunter. Artie nonetheless manages to escape from the shop with the Clock, but he is stopped by Nacht, who mistake him for Mr. Magic's son. Stormy, one of the Three Witches, then reveals herself to be Mr.Magic's son, who was turned into a girl by Dr.Macabre's machine. Fearing punishment if she doesn't bring back the Clock, she convinces Nacht to let her go with the Clock in exchange of information about the Monster Teens. 2006-12-24 The California Crusaders are having a Christmas Eve party in their headquarters when the Bell Witch calls Nacht. She manages to get free and joins her mother, to discover that they’re in a mystical Masonic Lodge. Marzena has already got the guardians, the Midnight Wardens, tied up, and she’s setting up a mystic working with Dr. Cobb. First Mr. Magic and then the Green Brujah crash the party. Eventually, though, the ritual gets set up. It makes Nacht a demigoddess, with the goal of writing a book and making a medallion that will allow Marzena to have the same control over the Erebeal darkness as Nacht. Marzena, of course, shows exactly how flakey she is in thinking that she can control a demi-goddess with vastly expanded perceptions. She also doesn’t realize that she’s made and broken a Sorcerer’s Contract with Nacht no less than three times. The Witch Hunter then arrives and is promptly put down. The darkling demi-goddess creates a counter-spell that cures all the monsters as well as removing the root monster, which had infested Dr. Cobb. At the end, Nacht discovers that the Bell Witch is not her mother, but she’s unable to discover who her real mother is: Marzena has the knowledge of it blocked too well. After the uproar dies down, Nacht and Sunburst relax at home. Nacht has not come down completely from her demi-goddess state, so she’s doing a few mystical things while she still can. Elsewhere, Dr. Cobb prepares to move when Mr. Magic arrives. After a brief tussle, Mr. Magic puts him into the Monster Maker, and then muses on which button is “Deep Fry.” 2006-12-25 The California Crusaders gather in Sunburst’s home for the Christmas morning celebration. There’s something hanging from the ceiling that turns out to be Mr. Magic’s present: Dr. Macabre. Nacht’s present for the Crusaders is Clues: little magical packets that, when opened, will let the recipient get a Clue. She finds a present for herself that she doesn’t remember making. It says: "Do not open until Zulu.” 2006-12-28 After a day of skiing, Sunburst and Nacht relax in the lodge. They hear on the news that the Hollywood Headhunter has been found and dealt with. One of the pictures is of a young girl who was instrumental in the action. Kate looks at the picture, and then smiles. Characters Chapter 1 * Sunburst Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 * Doctor Idol (Mentioned.) * Swifty Laser (Mentioned.) * Major Broadcast (Mentioned.) * Cecil B. DeVour (Mentioned.) * Hollywood All-Stars * Radical Squad Chapter 5 * Sunburst * Daybreak * Nightfall * Witch Hunter * Phase * Esprit Nunez * Megalesius * Hexmaster (Mentioned.) * Lacey Fitzgibbons * Jack Steele Category:Stories Category:Gen1 Category:Bek D. Corbin